Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
Encyclopedia
The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
is a regional nonprofit organization established in 1996 to take a leadership role in protecting and enhancing the Delaware Estuary, where fresh water from the Delaware River
mixes with salt water from the Atlantic Ocean. Its mission is to lead collaborative and creative efforts to protect and enhance the Delaware Estuary and its tributaries for current and future generations.
The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary is one of 28 Congressionally designated National Estuary Program
s throughout the coastal United States working to improve the environmental health of the nation's estuaries. Its staff works with partners in three states to increase awareness, understanding and scientific knowledge about the Delaware Estuary, the region's most important cultural, economic and recreational resource.
’s headwaters near Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and as far east as the Rancocas River’s headwaters near Fort Dix, New Jersey. The vastness of this watershed makes the Delaware Estuary one of the largest estuaries in the country, or approximately 6800 square miles (17,611.9 km²) in size. Within these boundaries are over 200 species of fish, the continent’s second-highest concentration of shorebirds, and over 400000 acres (1,618.7 km²) of wetlands.
to protect the Schuylkill River
Watershed, a major source of drinking water for the city of Philadelphia. In 2008, the PDE received a $50,000 grant from the EPA to carry out a two-year study on the effects climate change
could have on the estuary. And in 2011, the PDE hosted its fourth biennial Delaware Estuary Science and Environmental Summit, an event that attracted almost 250 scientists, resource managers, and environmentalists while focusing on "Connections: Land to Sea, Shore to Shore & Science to Outreach."
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
is a regional nonprofit organization established in 1996 to take a leadership role in protecting and enhancing the Delaware Estuary, where fresh water from the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
mixes with salt water from the Atlantic Ocean. Its mission is to lead collaborative and creative efforts to protect and enhance the Delaware Estuary and its tributaries for current and future generations.
The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary is one of 28 Congressionally designated National Estuary Program
National Estuary Program
In the United States, the National Estuary Program was created by the 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act to provide grants to states where governors identify nationally significant estuaries that are threatened by pollution, land development, or overuse...
s throughout the coastal United States working to improve the environmental health of the nation's estuaries. Its staff works with partners in three states to increase awareness, understanding and scientific knowledge about the Delaware Estuary, the region's most important cultural, economic and recreational resource.
The Estuary
The Delaware Estuary is the tidal portion, or the lower half, of the Delaware River Basin. It includes all of the watersheds draining into this portion of the Delaware River and Bay. The area surrounding the estuary stretches as far west as the Schuylkill RiverSchuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
’s headwaters near Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and as far east as the Rancocas River’s headwaters near Fort Dix, New Jersey. The vastness of this watershed makes the Delaware Estuary one of the largest estuaries in the country, or approximately 6800 square miles (17,611.9 km²) in size. Within these boundaries are over 200 species of fish, the continent’s second-highest concentration of shorebirds, and over 400000 acres (1,618.7 km²) of wetlands.
Grants & Activities
The PDE has been awarded a number of grants to undertake various programs and projects that protect and preserve the estuary, often in partnership with other organizations. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the PDE a $1.15 million Targeted Watershed Initiative Grant in 2004 for water-quality improvement projects identified by the Philadelphia Water DepartmentPhiladelphia Water Department
The Philadelphia Water Department provides integrated potable water, wastewater, and stormwater services for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and some communities in Bucks, Delaware and Montgomery Counties...
to protect the Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
Watershed, a major source of drinking water for the city of Philadelphia. In 2008, the PDE received a $50,000 grant from the EPA to carry out a two-year study on the effects climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
could have on the estuary. And in 2011, the PDE hosted its fourth biennial Delaware Estuary Science and Environmental Summit, an event that attracted almost 250 scientists, resource managers, and environmentalists while focusing on "Connections: Land to Sea, Shore to Shore & Science to Outreach."